Bag the Bag!

Paper or plastic? It's hardly a question anymore--many stores don't seem even to offer paper bags. In some ways, that's a good thing: compared with paper bags, plastic bags use less energy, take up less space, and create less air and water pollution. But the familiar complaints about plastic hold for plastic bags as well: fossil fuels in their manufacture, non-biodegradable when disposed of (not that anything biodegrades in most landfills); those bags that don't end up in landfills can choke animals or clog sewers. Yet as the world manufactures 450 trillion bags a year--shouldn't we be asking whether the bag is reusable or recycled? As discussed in the More Information a number of stores - large and small -- are encouraging recycling of plastic bags while others are offering refunds to customers who bring their own bags. In Europe, some countries have imposed a plastic bag tax. Consider suggesting one of these options in the stores where you shop. Stores care about their customers and generally are responsive to their concerns. Here's a letter you can give to you local store owners with suggestions on cutting down bag use:

Dear store owner,

I'm a loyal customer who's concerned about the environment. I like doing business with you, and I'd like it even more if you'd encourage your customers to cut down on their plastic bag use. Methods that have been proven to work painlessly at other stores include:

Selling canvas bags at cost.
Giving customers a small refund for every bag they bring to the store.
Cutting down on double bagging. (Most of the time it's unnecessary.)

Many stores, including Wal-Mart, offer plastic bag recycling--it would be great for the environment, and very convenient for your customers, if you'd do so too. Biocorp (310-491-3465) sells biodegradable bags that may very well be cost-effective. I truly appreciate your concern for the environment.

More information

The best steps you can take are personal ones: request no double-bagging; reuse your plastic bags until they're tattered; bring canvas bags with you when shopping. If you are particularly obsessive, and want yet another piece of equipment for your kitchen, easydri.com offers a combination cutting board and "plastic bag dryer." Alternately, you could rinse your food bags and dry them without a special rack.

Once your plastic bags are torn to shreds, you can recycle them. Most are made of #2 or #4 polyethylene, which your municipality may allow you to recycle. Failing that, many large stores, including Wal-Mart, have plastics recycling bins. Enter your zip code at Earth911.org for recycling locations near you--it's a good site to check up on recycling locations for all kinds of goods.

Is there any alternative worth lobbying for on a wider scale? Ireland imposes a 25 cent tax on plastic bags, and the UK and many countries may follow suit. However, Ireland's results have not been unambiguous: bag use has fallen 95 percent, but cardboard boxes that retailers used to recycle are now being used by customers, then thrown out, actually increasing the volume of packaging sent to landfills.

Or write your local retailer, as above: In Britain especially, retailers are introducing biodegradable bags. One, made by Symphony Environmental, is being made with vegetable starch that can be eaten by bacteria; it turns into water vapor and a small amount of CO2 after about a month in a compost heap, and costs no more than a conventional bag. The Belgian company Ecover sells biodegradable garbage bags.

If you own a store, you could follow the example of Weaver Street Market in Chapel Hill, NC: charge for plastic bags, offer canvas bags for sale cheaply. Or take the opposite tack, and give your customers a few cents for every bag they bring themselves.

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